Thursday, May 21, 2009

Radio Heads

"stop global warming petition: an online petition with over a million names.. including President Obama. currently there is talk of a climate change bill in the US similair to the one we have passed in the UK. thats a BIG deal. but i have been reading how the oil industry is investing millions of dollars in a PR campaign against it! how utterly dumbass is that? how do these people look their children in the eye? in have now stepped down from todays soapbox. byebye"-Thom Yorke

The above statement was from a blog written last week by Radiohead's lead singer - Thom Yorke - who is gaining more and more recognition as an advocate of environmental causes. While I do believe that protecting the environment is a noble cause and that Mr. Yorke is sincere in his efforts, I steadfastly refuse to sign this particular petition anytime soon.

It is, more often than not, hard for me to debate environmental issues because I lack the scientific knowledge to make a strong case for or against global warming. And it absolutely aggravates me when the Rush Limbaughs and Sean Hannitys of the world claim that global warming is a hoax when I know that their scientific knowledge of the issue is about as good as mine. However, certain members of the "left" shouldn't get a pat on the back for simply pushing environmental causes when they fail to ask relevant questions in regards to this debate.

The "climate change" bill(H.R. 2454) that Yorke is promoting while calling oil companies "dumbasses" for not supporting it, is a 932-page bill written in legal speak that I'm pretty sure Mr. Yorke has not read himself and, if he did, I'm guessing that he, like myself, would not be able to make heads or tails of it. Why are these bills so damn long, you ask? Because politicians can sneak taxes and pork projects into them without objection because very few people in their right mind possess the patience to read this crap, let alone the knowledge to interpret it.

Do I believe that the human race is capable of destroying the planet? Of course I do and I believe that there is very strong evidence all around us that proves that we actually are destroying the planet. But, every proposal to fix a problem does not necessarily mean that it's a smart solution and, until Thom Yorke or anyone else can break this bill down into a simplified language that I can understand, I won't sign this petition simply because a celebrity tells me to.